Our Story
Ryan and Sam of Park Slope were proud to say that they were perfectly nerdy, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be part of a magical love story, though they are exactly the kind of people who enjoy such nonsense.
It was an oppressively hot day in late June 2020. At least, let’s pretend it was; we have no way of remembering what the weather was like three and a half years ago. But the streets of Manhattan were empty; it was the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the city was in lockdown. There was a pot next to the window, a hook devoted to cloth masks by the door, and a pile of dishes in the sink (we're assuming), as Samantha Yudin settled into her totally comfortable and not at all rigid armchair with her laptop (and bluetooth speaker because her laptop speakers were trash) on a stool next to her. It was Sunday afternoon and time for read-aloud, a chance to socialize with some random people from the internet with whom she had formed an unlikely friendship. Pulling up the Zoom link and entering the room, she scanned the small windows (because she obviously arrived late despite not doing anything), looking at a dozen familiar faces she had become accustomed to over the past three months. But there was someone new that day.
That same Sunday, 300 miles away in Alexandria, Virginia, Ryan Kearns was sitting down at desk, his custom-built pc whirring beside him. He had only arrived back in Virginia a week earlier, after a long day of travel, including 5 airports across 4 countries and 9 time zones. After being stuck in his bedroom in Armenia for over 3 months, he was ready for some socialization with people whom he could understand. The small conversations in a Facebook group (that was spun off of another Facebook group that was for fans of a podcast) had provided some entertainment, but when he saw that a group was getting together every Sunday to read one of his favorite book series, he thought, “that’s perfect!” Unfortunately, they met at 1am Armenian time, so he’d have to wait until he got home. As the months of isolation ticked on, and 4 trips home were canceled, he began to look forward to the day he’d finally be able to join; and when he finally got back to his bare apartment in Old Town, he made sure to have his computer set up ASAP, so that come Sunday, he’d be ready to make some new friends. As the faces began popping up on his screen (because, let’s be honest, he was there early), he eagerly began the first real socializing he’d had since March.
Over the rest of the summer, they both settled into the routine of pulling up to their computers on Sunday afternoons, pulling a book off their shelves, and diving into their stories. Ryan became known for creating funny voices for familiar characters, and enjoyed hearing the suppressed laughter from others. While he was finding new ways to add his personality to a story they all knew by heart, Sam was charmed by his smile and his sense of humor. Steadily she started looking forward to read-aloud so she could see him.
Finally in October, Sam decided to take matters into her own hands. She pulled open Facebook Messenger, typed out a message, and let it sit there unsent for…hours? Days? Who’s to say? But eventually, she hit send and waited anxiously for him to respond:
(Looking back at this over three years later, Ryan has no idea what voices he’s referring to).
That was it, just a quick back and forth. Ryan thought nothing of it, but Sam hoped it was the start of something more. Two weeks later (and nothing more from Ryan), she decided to reach out again. This time, the conversation didn’t stop.
They decided to conduct their first date via Zoom; when they finally hit “end call” after 6 hours, Ryan thought to himself, “Ok, this could be something”. That pattern continued; each time they spoke, neither seemed to want to hang up. They learned what they had in common, including but not limited to shared love for disappointing sports teams, proper bagels and pizza (don’t try to pretend that stuff in DC was worth eating), and fantastical stories that suck you in and keep hold of you for decades.
Eventually, with a Thanksgiving in New Jersey coming up, Ryan suggested meeting in person, which Sam was eager to accept…at first; in the days leading up to the meet, the thoughts began to spiral. “What if we don’t get along? What if we have nothing to talk about? What if he smells bad?????” Finally the Saturday after Thanksgiving came. Ryan packed a few day’s belongings in his backpack, and made his way into Manhattan, following the familiar route he took to high school, hopeful that this trip would be the first of many.
Sam spotted Ryan first, ascending the escalator from the PATH train. “He’s real,” she said to herself, as he scanned the crowd, his eyes finally alighting on her masked face just beyond the turnstiles. There in the World Trade Center Oculus, they embraced for the first time.
Sam led Ryan on a walk around the Manhattan waterfront, showing off her City. Ryan, weighed down by a heavy backpack and not wearing the best shoes for walking, did his best to power through. (Sam’s still sorry about this!) Over the next two days they wandered the city, getting to know each other as much as possible before Ryan left on Monday. He ended up staying until Wednesday. He knew within 4 days that any day spent with Sam was better than any day without her.
They settled into a new routine. Texting or calling daily, Zoom dates every so often, and Facetiming every night before bed. It was during one of these Facetimes that Ryan admitted that he knew if they were to make it, he would have to move to New York; Sam, knowing that he didn’t want to live in Manhattan, decided to compromise, and said “well, we can live in Brooklyn.”
After months of back and forth, New Years and Valentines in Virginia, trips to New York in January and March, New traditions were made, holidays celebrated, and they met each other’s friends and families.
Ryan hadn’t been able to find work during the pandemic, nor was he entirely certain what he wanted to do. Eventually it became clear that with Sam in New York, moving back in with his parents in New Jersey while looking for work in New York became the logical next step (because he definitely could not fit in her tiny East Village apartment). Thankfully, Sam was able to assist in the move (and throwing out all the unnecessary clutter Ryan had accumulated in his 6 years in the DC Metro area).
They settled again into another new routine, spending the work week apart, and weekends together in New York. Ryan began enjoying his time in the big city, something he wasn’t sure was going to happen. But the continual job hunting was weighing on him. The stay in East Hanover was only supposed to last a few months, but there was no end in sight. Finally, after Ryan voiced his regret that he changed his major from computer science in college, Sam provided the spark: “you can just do a software engineering bootcamp.” So that’s what he did, though the delay in starting a new career meant that Sam had to follow his lead and moved into her parent’s spare room and eventually bit the bullet and joined Ryan in NJ when her parents moved to Connecticut. When Ryan finished he bootcamp, and found a job, they were finally able to continue their lives together in Brooklyn.
Daily walks in Prospect Park, trivia nights at Park Life, Van Lueween ice cream trips, dinners with friends, summer afternoons reading in the park, farmers market Saturdays and bagel breakfast Sundays, Mets games and Red Wings games, and of course the holiday tradition of ordering way too much Chinese food make up their lives together in their new home.
In addition to their day-to-days in Brooklyn, they were able to spend holidays with family in New Jersey and Connecticut, weeks at LBI, visiting family and friends in Florida, Boston, Maryland, Virginia, Raleigh, South Carolina, Ohio, and Long Island. They were able to celebrate many friends' weddings together. A year of forming a new life together followed, during which Ryan began planning and designing a ring. Their daily walk in Prospect Park emerged as the obvious time to propose. So on a beautiful fall evening, on their daily walk, Ryan directed them to their summer reading spot on the main lawn. He began saying nice things about Sam and their life together, and Sam was caught completely by surprise - but happily said yes when he pulled out a ring.
When Sam first sent that message in the fall of 2020, not knowing whether he would respond, not knowing he would be exactly what she was looking for, not knowing whether he would fall for her, not knowing that he would move 300 miles for her… she couldn’t know that 4 and a half years later, her favorite people would gather in a spot on the Hudson River, holding up their glasses and saying in loud voices: “To Ryan and Sam, husband and wife!“
